Author: Thrity Umrigar
Genre: Multi-Cultural, Fiction
Rating: 2.5/5
Verdict: A slow-moving and predictable read.
Goodreads blurb:
"Tehmina Sethna's beloved husband has died this past year and she is visiting her son, Sorab, in his suburban Ohio home. Now Tehmina is being asked to choose between her old, familiar life in India and a new one in Ohio with her son, his American wife, and their child. She must decide whether to leave the comforting landscape of her native India for the strange rituals of life in a new country...."
The blurb was enough for me to pick up this book at the library, the reason being the dilemma that the main character, Tehmina in this story is faced with is the one question that has been haunting me for years now - To choose between living in the US or to go back to India for good. Where do I belong? Where should I raise my kid(s)? Will I be happy whichever path I choose? What if I don't?
I am sure anyone who is an immigrant in the United States or any foreign land have been haunted by these very set of questions at least once in their life. As of today, I have been unable to choose between the two. But, I just know that I have to make that decision before its too late. So, I was quite intrigued to find out what path Tehmina chose and her reasons for doing it in the hope that someday it will help me make my decision when I arrive at the crossroads. I also loved Thrity's "The Space between us" - It was a perfect portrayal of the divide between the rich and the poor and it was dangerously close to reality. I was held captive by the book right from page 1.
I started reading this book with high expectations for the above mentioned reasons. The book is about an elderly Parsi woman, Tehmina who has recently lost her husband, Rustom and is visiting her son Sohrab, daughter-in-law, Suzanne and grandson, Cavas aka Cookie living in Ohio. Sohrab is the only child to Tehmina and Rustom and he has asked her to relocate to the United States and live with them. Tehmina is in a quandary. The story revolves around the challenges, dilemmas and the struggles of an old widow who has lived all her life in India and is faced with so many changes to accept and compromise upon if she were to move to the United States. We get to see the life in the US through the eyes of a sixty five year old woman and the cultural differences faced by older people whose children live in the US. This part of the book, I felt was very well captured. I see it often in my own life whenever my parents visit US, they are unable to come to terms with certain things being done the way they are here even if it has been their tenth visit. They have learnt to accept it and live by it when they are here, but, nevertheless, will never be completely happy with it. Its hard for me to understand that sometimes, given how easily me and my husband have adapted and adjusted to the life here. But, I suppose it gets harder as you age. There is constant comparison on life here versus life in India throughout the book and how things are done in a better way in India. Crossing the roads without fear, not having to wear seat-belts to name a few. I felt this part was a bit judgmental and cliched, but again, well portrayed and is very much the reality.
I also really liked the portrayal of the relationship between Tehmina and Suzanne. There is friction, unpleasantness and a few bitter incidents between the two, but how they get past beyond all of that and still manage to co-exist in the same house without any major disruptions was very well written. Tehmina is not the typically portrayed Indian mother-in-law who is possessive of her son, constantly complains about her daughter-in-law, nor feels the need to be dominating. She is an independent, courageous and resilient woman who loves and adores her son and grand-son and cannot imagine a life without being near her loved ones. When we get to the incident which is a turning point in helping Tehmina decide, it feels too dramatic, unrealistic and forced. It never made an impact on me and I could never understand the reasoning of introducing the incident about the two boys and the depth of it. So was the part about Rustom talking to her and the book/poems he reads to her. This was very disappointing and I would have rather enjoyed reading more about Tehmina's relationship with some of her friends/family back in India.
As I moved towards the end of the book, it became predictable. Tehmina decides to choose to live with Sohrab in the US. But why? Wasn't that what the book was supposed to be about? I felt that question was never answered or even if it was it wasn't quite impactful. May be, it goes to say - live with your loved ones, the place doesn't matter? - I don't know. I expected this book to be an emotional roller coster, all about love, relationships, heartfelt conversations and much more. But, it fell far short of my expectations. I would give it a miss.
Genre: Multi-Cultural, Fiction
Rating: 2.5/5
Verdict: A slow-moving and predictable read.
Goodreads blurb:
"Tehmina Sethna's beloved husband has died this past year and she is visiting her son, Sorab, in his suburban Ohio home. Now Tehmina is being asked to choose between her old, familiar life in India and a new one in Ohio with her son, his American wife, and their child. She must decide whether to leave the comforting landscape of her native India for the strange rituals of life in a new country...."
The blurb was enough for me to pick up this book at the library, the reason being the dilemma that the main character, Tehmina in this story is faced with is the one question that has been haunting me for years now - To choose between living in the US or to go back to India for good. Where do I belong? Where should I raise my kid(s)? Will I be happy whichever path I choose? What if I don't?
I am sure anyone who is an immigrant in the United States or any foreign land have been haunted by these very set of questions at least once in their life. As of today, I have been unable to choose between the two. But, I just know that I have to make that decision before its too late. So, I was quite intrigued to find out what path Tehmina chose and her reasons for doing it in the hope that someday it will help me make my decision when I arrive at the crossroads. I also loved Thrity's "The Space between us" - It was a perfect portrayal of the divide between the rich and the poor and it was dangerously close to reality. I was held captive by the book right from page 1.
I started reading this book with high expectations for the above mentioned reasons. The book is about an elderly Parsi woman, Tehmina who has recently lost her husband, Rustom and is visiting her son Sohrab, daughter-in-law, Suzanne and grandson, Cavas aka Cookie living in Ohio. Sohrab is the only child to Tehmina and Rustom and he has asked her to relocate to the United States and live with them. Tehmina is in a quandary. The story revolves around the challenges, dilemmas and the struggles of an old widow who has lived all her life in India and is faced with so many changes to accept and compromise upon if she were to move to the United States. We get to see the life in the US through the eyes of a sixty five year old woman and the cultural differences faced by older people whose children live in the US. This part of the book, I felt was very well captured. I see it often in my own life whenever my parents visit US, they are unable to come to terms with certain things being done the way they are here even if it has been their tenth visit. They have learnt to accept it and live by it when they are here, but, nevertheless, will never be completely happy with it. Its hard for me to understand that sometimes, given how easily me and my husband have adapted and adjusted to the life here. But, I suppose it gets harder as you age. There is constant comparison on life here versus life in India throughout the book and how things are done in a better way in India. Crossing the roads without fear, not having to wear seat-belts to name a few. I felt this part was a bit judgmental and cliched, but again, well portrayed and is very much the reality.
I also really liked the portrayal of the relationship between Tehmina and Suzanne. There is friction, unpleasantness and a few bitter incidents between the two, but how they get past beyond all of that and still manage to co-exist in the same house without any major disruptions was very well written. Tehmina is not the typically portrayed Indian mother-in-law who is possessive of her son, constantly complains about her daughter-in-law, nor feels the need to be dominating. She is an independent, courageous and resilient woman who loves and adores her son and grand-son and cannot imagine a life without being near her loved ones. When we get to the incident which is a turning point in helping Tehmina decide, it feels too dramatic, unrealistic and forced. It never made an impact on me and I could never understand the reasoning of introducing the incident about the two boys and the depth of it. So was the part about Rustom talking to her and the book/poems he reads to her. This was very disappointing and I would have rather enjoyed reading more about Tehmina's relationship with some of her friends/family back in India.
As I moved towards the end of the book, it became predictable. Tehmina decides to choose to live with Sohrab in the US. But why? Wasn't that what the book was supposed to be about? I felt that question was never answered or even if it was it wasn't quite impactful. May be, it goes to say - live with your loved ones, the place doesn't matter? - I don't know. I expected this book to be an emotional roller coster, all about love, relationships, heartfelt conversations and much more. But, it fell far short of my expectations. I would give it a miss.
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